Field Crops Research最新文献

{"title":"Residual film hinders maize root-soil water coordination and root-shoot growth thereby reducing yield and water-nitrogen use efficiencies","authors":"Yuyi Zhang , Xiaobo Gu , Pengpeng Chen , Yadan Du , Yining Lu , Haowei Yin , Zhandong Liu , Huanjie Cai","doi":"10.1016/j.fcr.2025.110192","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.fcr.2025.110192","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Context</h3><div>Plastic film mulching enhances crop productivity in arid China, but residual film impairs maize root development and soil structure, reducing yield and water-nitrogen use efficiencies. However, the specific mechanisms by which residual film affected maize root-soil water coordination and root-shoot growth, as well as their impacts on crop yield and water-nitrogen use efficiencies, are still not fully understood.</div></div><div><h3>Methods and objective</h3><div>A field experiment was conducted from 2017 to 2018. Five levels of residual film amount were set to simulate the accumulation of residual film over different years: 0 kg ha<sup>−1</sup> (M0) for 0 year, 90 kg ha<sup>−1</sup> (M90) for 10 years, 180 kg ha<sup>−1</sup> (M180) for 25 years, 360 kg ha<sup>−1</sup> (M360) for 55 years, and 720 kg ha<sup>−1</sup> (M720) for 120 years, to examine how residual film impacts soil water movement, root development, root-shoot ratio, dynamic changes of leaf area and aboveground biomass, grain yield, and water-nitrogen use efficiencies, and to further explore relationships among these variables.</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>The results showed that residual film increased the soil moisture difference in the vertical profile and affected root distribution and length. Specifically, relative to the no film residual treatment, higher residual film levels (180 kg ha<sup>−1</sup>-720 kg ha<sup>−1</sup>) significantly reduced total root length by 6.32 %-24.31 % and increased shallow root distribution in the 0–30 cm layer by 6.31 %-20.72 %, demonstrating a clear negative impact on root system architecture. The coupling coordination degree of soil moisture and root system in the 0–30 cm soil layer was enhanced due to the increased residual film. However, residual film had a significant negative impact on leaf area index and leaf area duration. When the residual film amount exceeded 180 kg ha<sup>−1</sup>, pre-anthesis dry matter translocation and post-anthesis dry matter accumulation were reduced. At the tasseling stage, the root-shoot ratio increased. Compared to the treatment without residual film, grain yield, water use efficiency, and nitrogen partial factor productivity were significantly reduced by 20.26 %-50.54 %, 16.85 %-36.19 %, and 17.06 %-42.42 %, respectively. The structural equation model demonstrated a good fit to the data (CFI = 0.967, GFI = 0.931), and revealed that residual film exerted a direct negative effect on root-soil water coordination, which in turn reduced yield indirectly by limiting biomass production. Furthermore, root-soil water coordination had a strong direct negative effect on both water use efficiency and nitrogen partial factor productivity. The path analysis quantified the negative influence of residual film, with coefficients of −0.241 for yield, and −0.767 for both WUE and NPFP.</div></div><div><h3>Conclusions</h3><div>Excessive residual plastic film (>180 kg ha<sup>−1</sup>) hindered roo","PeriodicalId":12143,"journal":{"name":"Field Crops Research","volume":"335 ","pages":"Article 110192"},"PeriodicalIF":6.4,"publicationDate":"2025-10-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145270304","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Different responses of African rice cultivars to alternate wetting and drying irrigation and anaerobic digestate application","authors":"Stephen Yeboah ,&nbsp;Patricia Amankwaa-Yeboah ,&nbsp;Jaime Puértolas ,&nbsp;Francis B. Agyenim ,&nbsp;Kirk T. Semple ,&nbsp;Ian C. Dodd","doi":"10.1016/j.fcr.2025.110189","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.fcr.2025.110189","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Context</h3><div>Water and nutrient limitations often restrict African rice production. Scarce fertiliser supplies require suitable alternatives such as anaerobic digestate residues, but few trials have tested rice cultivation with this nutrient source. Applying alternate wetting and drying (AWD) irrigation, that decreases crop water use and maintains yield, can enhance climate resilience of irrigation schemes, but whether African rice (<em>Oryza glaberrima)</em> cultivars are better adapted to AWD is uncertain.</div></div><div><h3>Objective</h3><div>We aimed to develop farmer recommendations for optimal water and nutrient use in West African rice cropping systems. We hypothesised that anaerobic digestate was a viable alternative nitrogen source to chemical fertilisers, and that a local African rice cultivar tolerated AWD better than an improved Asian cultivar.</div></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><div>Factorial experiments at Fumesua, Ghana during the 2021 and 2022 dry seasons varied irrigation type (alternate wetting and drying, AWD <em>versus</em> continuous flooding, CF), nutrient source (synthetic fertiliser <em>versus</em> anaerobic digestate at the same nitrogen application rate) and cultivars (improved <em>O. sativa</em> cv. <em>CRI-Agrarice versus</em> local <em>O. glaberrima</em> cv. <em>Viowornor short</em>) in a split-plot design. Water- (leaf relative water content and stomatal conductance) and nutrient- (chlorophyll content, leaf nitrogen content) related traits were measured during the irrigation season, with yield and its components (number of effective tillers, grain number per panicle, thousand grain weight) measured at harvest.</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>AWD decreased water use by 28 % but maintained grain yield, except synthetic fertiliser-treated local <em>O. glaberrima</em> in which grain yield decreased by 31 %. Harvest index better explained treatment differences in yield than variation in water-related physiological traits. Nutrient source affected the cultivars differently. Synthetic fertiliser increased improved <em>O. sativa</em> grain yield by 18 % compared to digestate coincident with higher leaf chlorophyll content, whereas digestate increased local <em>O. glaberrima</em> grain yield by 66 % despite 20 % lower chlorophyll content. Digestate increased the number of effective tillers of both cultivars by 24 %, but diminished thousand grain weight by 4 %.</div></div><div><h3>Conclusions</h3><div>AWD requires cultivars adapted to the prevailing nutrient management to avoid yield losses, while applying digestate boosted grain yields of the local cultivar while maintaining comparable yields to the improved cultivar receiving synthetic fertiliser.</div></div><div><h3>Significance</h3><div>Bespoke irrigation × nutrient source × cultivar combinations can boost African rice production while decreasing fertiliser costs and water use.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":12143,"journal":{"name":"Field Crops Research","volume":"335 ","pages":"Article 110189"},"PeriodicalIF":6.4,"publicationDate":"2025-10-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145271253","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Effects and action pathways of oxygenation strategies for enhancing cotton yield and quality under mulched drip irrigation in arid oasis regions","authors":"Wenhao Li ,&nbsp;Jinyin He ,&nbsp;Tianyu Wang ,&nbsp;Feifei Jia ,&nbsp;Tehseen Javed ,&nbsp;Bo Zhou ,&nbsp;Zhenhua Wang","doi":"10.1016/j.fcr.2025.110196","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.fcr.2025.110196","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Context</h3><div>Mulched drip irrigation is an effective water-saving technique widely used in arid oasis regions, significantly enhancing crop yield and quality. However, its long-term application can lead to soil compaction and hypoxia in crop roots, which can adversely affect plant growth and yield.</div></div><div><h3>Objective</h3><div>This study aimed to clarify the differences in oxygenation methods throughout the growth period of cotton and reveal the pathway of oxygenation during cotton development.</div></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><div>To address these issues, the current study investigated the effects of three oxygenation methods mechanical, Venturi, and chemical and four chemical oxygen concentrations (9.2, 13.3, 17.3, and 25.5 mg L⁻¹) on the growth, photosynthesis, fluorescence, yield, quality and elucidate its action pathways through underlying physiological mechanisms that influence variations in yield and quality.</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>The results showed oxygenation treatments improved cotton growth, photosynthetic performance, and fluorescence performance compared to non-aerated controls. The treatment with the highest oxygen concentration (CO_25.5) achieved the most substantial improvements in single boll weight (SBW, 11.29 %-13.32 %), seed cotton yield (SCY, 4 %-6.7 %), fibre length (FL, 4.3 %-5.8 %), and uniformity index (UI, 4.9 %-5 %). It also attained the highest comprehensive evaluation score (2.46), making it the most effective option overall. Increasing oxygen concentration can have a direct positive impact on photosynthetic performance and fluorescence, thereby contributing to the growth, yield, and quality of cotton. The lowest concentration (CO_9.2) demonstrated better efficiency in enhancing SBW, SCY, FL and UI per unit increase in oxygen compared to the control under the condition of a unit oxygen concentration. The study observed minimal differences (&lt;6.4 %) among the three oxygenation methods, indicating that concentration plays a more critical role than the method itself.</div></div><div><h3>Conclusions</h3><div>These findings provide a suitable method for oxygen addition to cotton in the arid oasis region of Northwest China, which is of great significance for the efficient water-saving and green sustainable development of local agriculture, as well as for improving the yield and quality of cotton.</div></div><div><h3>Implications</h3><div>To contribute to sustainable agricultural practices in arid oasis regions.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":12143,"journal":{"name":"Field Crops Research","volume":"335 ","pages":"Article 110196"},"PeriodicalIF":6.4,"publicationDate":"2025-10-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145270303","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Controlled-release nitrogen in paddies: Bridging food security and carbon neutrality through carbon-nitrogen coupling","authors":"Zongkui Chen ,&nbsp;Jiayue Wang ,&nbsp;Xiangyu Xu ,&nbsp;Wenqi Yuan ,&nbsp;Zhiyuan Yang ,&nbsp;Yongjian Sun ,&nbsp;Jun Ma ,&nbsp;William D. Batchelor ,&nbsp;Xiafei Li","doi":"10.1016/j.fcr.2025.110197","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.fcr.2025.110197","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Context</h3><div>Widespread use of controlled-release urea (CRU) is a promising strategy to reduce nitrogen losses; however, it reduces carbon and nitrogen sequestration in the soil-plant system, limiting sustainable rice production. Research on optimizing CRU practices to enhance carbon/nitrogen processes in paddy soil-plant system remains limited.</div></div><div><h3>Objective and methods</h3><div>This study employed the Denitrification-Decomposition model to evaluate CRU practice for improving soil-plant system carbon/nitrogen processes, thereby enhancing food security and carbon neutrality in paddy fields under current and future scenarios.</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>Nitrogen inputs revealed a trade-off: CRU practice required 150–206 kg N ha⁻¹ to achieve high food security and carbon neutrality, conventional urea (CU) practice required 181–202 kg N ha⁻¹. Whereas the comprehensive benefits, food security, and carbon neutrality under current CRU practices were lower than under CU, highlighting the need for improving CRU practice. Optimized CRU practice (165–197 kg N ha⁻¹) improved comprehensive benefits, food security, and carbon neutrality by approximately 60 % relative to conventional CRU practice. Nitrogen losses and NH₃ emissions primarily affected food security, while soil carbon sequestration and total carbon sequestration governed carbon neutrality. Optimized CRU practice reduced NH₃ emissions and nitrogen losses while increasing soil and total carbon sequestration. Under future scenarios, further optimized CRU practice (218 kg N ha⁻¹), with smaller N input increases compared to CU practice (247 kg N ha⁻¹), achieved higher food security and carbon neutrality than another CRU practice.</div></div><div><h3>Conclusions</h3><div>Optimized CRU practice mitigates greenhouse gas emissions while increasing plant carbon/nitrogen sequestration, advancing high food security and carbon neutrality.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":12143,"journal":{"name":"Field Crops Research","volume":"335 ","pages":"Article 110197"},"PeriodicalIF":6.4,"publicationDate":"2025-10-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145271254","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"UAV-based precision nitrogen management balances agronomic, economic, and environmental multi-objective benefits in rice production","authors":"Zhaopeng Fu ,&nbsp;Xi Tao ,&nbsp;Weikang Wang ,&nbsp;Jiayi Zhang ,&nbsp;Yongchao Tian ,&nbsp;Qiang Cao ,&nbsp;Yan Zhu ,&nbsp;Weixing Cao ,&nbsp;Xiaojun Liu","doi":"10.1016/j.fcr.2025.110187","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.fcr.2025.110187","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Context</h3><div>Rice is a staple cereal crop in China, and nitrogen (N) is a key nutrient for its growth and development. Precision N management using remote sensing is critical for food security and sustainable agriculture. Although unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV)-based multi-spectral remote sensing has been increasingly applied to rice N monitoring, existing studies still face limitations in diagnostic accuracy, adaptability across cultivars and regions, and validation for large-scale applications. Therefore, UAV-based precision N management strategies tailored for rice require further investigation.</div></div><div><h3>Objectives</h3><div>(1) Develop UAV-enabled N topdressing diagnosis and regulation methods suitable for intra-field and field scales; (2) Evaluate agronomic, economic, and environmental outcomes of these regulation approaches; (3) Identify an optimized fertilization strategy that balances multi-objective benefits.</div></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><div>Multi-year experiments (2017–2023) in Xinghua City covered multiple cultivars and N rates. UAV multi-spectral imagery from key stages, combined with agronomic and temperature data, supported topdressing diagnosis through the N nutrition index (NNI) and accumulated N deficit (AND). We developed and validated RF-Variable (intra-field, prescription-map based) and RF/CNN-Optimized (field-scale, multi-objective) regulation approaches. Validation was conducted at Xinghua Station, Zhuhong Farm, and Zhouzhuang Farm (2022–2023).</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>Direct inversion achieved robust accuracy (NNI: R²=0.62, RMSE=0.20; AND: R²=0.61–0.64, RMSE=20.79–22.40 kg ha⁻¹). Both approaches proved superior to conventional fertilization, increasing the proportion of rice plants with N-suitable status by 22.07 %–67.01 %. At the intra-field scale, RF-Variable reduced the coefficient of variation of NNI by 9.29 %–15 % and improved N agronomic efficiency (NAE) by 19.02 %–20.11 %. At the field scale, CNN-Optimized achieved a balanced performance across agronomic, economic, and environmental objectives.</div></div><div><h3>Conclusions</h3><div>Integrating UAV multi-spectral diagnosis with scale-appropriate regulation enables actionable, data-driven N topdressing in rice. RF-Variable is effective for pixel-level, variable-rate application; CNN-Optimized is suitable for field-level decision optimization where uniform application is required.</div></div><div><h3>Implications</h3><div>The proposed framework links remote sensing diagnosis to implementable prescriptions, advancing productive, cost-effective, and environmentally sustainable rice N management in alignment with global sustainability goals. Further multi-site, multi-season deployment will facilitate broader adoption and policy/extension integration.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":12143,"journal":{"name":"Field Crops Research","volume":"335 ","pages":"Article 110187"},"PeriodicalIF":6.4,"publicationDate":"2025-10-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145270657","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Maize-soybean intercropping improves grain yield via modifying water uptake strategies and dry matter accumulation translocation mechanisms","authors":"Zhendong Liu ,&nbsp;Xiudi Shangguan ,&nbsp;Haojie Hu ,&nbsp;Xinghui Wang ,&nbsp;Miaomiao Qiao ,&nbsp;Yunchao Liu ,&nbsp;Zhiheng Liang ,&nbsp;Rui Zong ,&nbsp;Quanqi Li","doi":"10.1016/j.fcr.2025.110191","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.fcr.2025.110191","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Context</h3><div>The maize-soybean intercropping pattern has great significance for ensuring food and oilseed security. However, there is still a lack of understanding and theoretical interpretation regarding the influence of the intercropping system on the root water uptake strategies and dry matter (DM) accumulation and translocation.</div></div><div><h3>Objective</h3><div>This study aimed to systematically investigate the interspecific water relationship in the maize-soybean intercropping system and DM accumulation and translocation.</div></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><div>A two-year field experiment was conducted. Stable isotopes δ²H and δ¹⁸O in plant and soil water, combined with the MixSIAR model, were used to explore the water use strategies of maize and soybean intercropping patterns and the mechanism of DM accumulation and transport. Four treatments were employed in this study, including monocrop, intercropping of four rows of soybean with two rows of maize (4:2) and four rows of soybean with three rows of maize (4:3).</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>The results showed that at the R1 growth stage, maize mainly absorbed soil water from the 60–100 cm soil layer in monocrop pattern while at the R3 growth stage, intercropped maize exhibited more obvious characteristics of using deep soil water (60–100 cm). The average contribution rate of the water in this soil layer to maize absorption was 48 % in 2023 and 45.5 % in 2024, respectively, indicating that intercropping utilized water from deeper layers. For soybean, regardless of the planting pattern adopted, the contribution rate of the soil layer from 0 to 20 cm to its total water absorption generally exceeds 60 %. In terms of DM transport, in maize, the 4:2 intercropping pattern significantly increased DM translocation efficiency (DMTE) by 275.0 % and 138.1 % in two years, and the contribution of post-anthesis DM translocation to grain yield (CDMT) by 147.3 % in 2024 compared to monocrop maize. For soybean, the CDMT and DMTE of the two intercrop patterns were mostly significantly lower than those of soybean under monocrop in 2024. Compared with the monocrop patterns, intercropping exhibited a higher crop water productivity (CWP). The land equivalent ratio (LER) of the two intercropping patterns was greater than 1, and the 4:2 intercropping pattern significantly increased by 11.2 % and 11.4 % compared with the 4:3 intercropping pattern in the two years, respectively.</div></div><div><h3>Conclusions and significance</h3><div>Taking both the CWP and LER into comprehensive consideration, the 4:2 intercropping pattern is the optimal mode. Therefore, the maize-soybean intercropping system, which drives maize to adjust its water absorption strategy and the mechanisms of DM accumulation and translocation, has significant advantages in increasing crop yield, improving land use efficiency, and enhancing CWP.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":12143,"journal":{"name":"Field Crops Research","volume":"335 ","pages":"Article 110191"},"PeriodicalIF":6.4,"publicationDate":"2025-10-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145271272","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Long-term maize breeding reduced plant-to-plant yield variability, especially in water limited environments","authors":"Andres Reyes,&nbsp;Alejo Ruiz,&nbsp;Andrea Salinas,&nbsp;Nicolas Gomara,&nbsp;Jose L. Rotundo,&nbsp;Lucas Borras","doi":"10.1016/j.fcr.2025.110188","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.fcr.2025.110188","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Context</h3><div>Maize (<em>Zea mays</em> L.) canopies of the same genotype are composed of plants that differ in their growth and yield. The yield variability of individual plants has commonly been proposed as a trait that explains genotype differences in their yield response to plant population and drought stress tolerance, responses that have changed with long-term breeding for yield. However, this has never been tested.</div></div><div><h3>Objective</h3><div>Describe long-term breeding effects on plant-to-plant yield variability under different water availability environments.</div></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><div>We analyzed the plant-to-plant yield variability of 71 commercial genotypes released from a continuous breeding program in the center US over the past century. These genotypes were grown under high plant populations (9.4–12.0 plants m⁻²) across 13 environments with different water availability.</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>The coefficient of variation of yield per plant decreased from 80 % in genotypes commercialized in the 1930s to 17 % in those commercialized today (-0.74 % yr⁻¹, p &lt; 0.001). This reduction in the plant-to-plant yield variability is explained by both, a reduction in the percentage of barren plants (p &lt; 0.001) and an increased uniformity of the fertile plants (p &lt; 0.001). Plant-to-plant yield variability was higher in double and triple-cross hybrids compared to single-cross ones. Still, single-cross hybrids also showed a similar reduction over time when analyzed separately (-0.67 % yr⁻¹, p &lt; 0.001). Low-yielding drought stress environments (irrigation covering less than 70 % of evapotranspiration, or ET) showed canopies with larger plant-to-plant yield variability when compared to well-watered high-yielding ones (p &lt; 0.001; irrigation covering above 90 % ET), and the genetic gain of canopy uniformity in yield was three times greater in low-yielding drought conditions compared to the high-yielding well-watered ones (-0.82 vs. −0.29 % y⁻¹, respectively).</div></div><div><h3>Conclusions and significance</h3><div>Modern genotypes can maintain significantly lower plant-to-plant yield variability than their older counterparts under drought stress. Findings support the concept that the increased plant population and drought tolerance of modern genotypes are associated with the ability to maintain canopies with low plant-to-plant yield variability.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":12143,"journal":{"name":"Field Crops Research","volume":"335 ","pages":"Article 110188"},"PeriodicalIF":6.4,"publicationDate":"2025-10-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145271273","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Regional drivers of soybean farmers’ yield, seed protein, and oil concentration","authors":"Valentina M. Pereyra ,&nbsp;Carlos Hernandez ,&nbsp;Trevor Hefley ,&nbsp;Ajay Sharda ,&nbsp;P.V. Vara Prasad ,&nbsp;Laila Puntel ,&nbsp;Guillermo R. Balboa ,&nbsp;David Moseley ,&nbsp;J. Trenton Irby ,&nbsp;Eros Francisco ,&nbsp;André F.B. Reis ,&nbsp;Aaron Prestholt ,&nbsp;Joshua McDanel ,&nbsp;Matthew Carroll ,&nbsp;Shaun N. Casteel ,&nbsp;Randall Pearson ,&nbsp;Joshua Pristolas ,&nbsp;Maninder Pal Singh ,&nbsp;Peter Kovács ,&nbsp;Michael H. Ostlie ,&nbsp;Ignacio A. Ciampitti","doi":"10.1016/j.fcr.2025.110176","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.fcr.2025.110176","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Context or problem</h3><div>Seed yield is the main goal for soybean (<em>Glycine max</em> L.) farmers, while soybean meal with a high protein is the target for the processing industry. Soybean oil, historically considered a byproduct, is now in higher demand due to growing interest in renewable diesel. Understanding how environmental factors influence soybean yield and quality (seed oil and protein concentration) in different regions is essential for developing a more diverse production chain and strong industry.</div></div><div><h3>Objective</h3><div>This study aims to (i) assess the importance of environmental factors in predicting seed oil and protein concentration and reported yields, (ii) identify regions with different yield and seed quality levels, and (iii) explore key factors linked to these variables across regions.</div></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><div>A standardized protocol was implemented to collect seed and soil samples from 235 fields in 13 US states during 2022 and 2023. We collected yield and crop management data via survey and retrieved crop phenological stages using crop growth model simulations (DSSAT) to summarize weather data during vegetative, reproductive pre seed-filling, and reproductive seed-filling stages.</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>Weather, soil, and season factors predicted yield and seed oil concentration with better accuracy (R² 0.56 and 0.39, respectively) than for seed protein concentration (R² 0.09). The northern and southern region had greater seed protein concentration (39.5 % and 39.4 %, respectively) compared to the Corn Belt region (38.2 %) where higher yields were observed. In the north, low temperatures during seed fill, linked to late planting dates or long-maturity groups, constrained yield and seed oil concentration. While in the south, high temperatures in the early season significantly limited yield where late sowing (after June 1st) shortened the total season length.</div></div><div><h3>Conclusions</h3><div>This study offers new insights into the variation of on-farm seed quality (seed protein and oil concentrations), utilizing a large dataset from 235 fields in 13 US states during 2022 and 2023 growing seasons. The findings of this study reveal regional differences in soybean quality, with greater seed protein concentration, but lower seed oil concentration in the north relative to the other regions and offers insights on environmental factors associated.</div></div><div><h3>Implications</h3><div>These findings serve as a reference for on-farm seed quality variation, aiding price determination and decision-making to enhance yield and seed quality across US soybean regions.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":12143,"journal":{"name":"Field Crops Research","volume":"335 ","pages":"Article 110176"},"PeriodicalIF":6.4,"publicationDate":"2025-10-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145271274","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Incidence of chalky rice grain in farmers’ paddy fields is influenced by soil temperature","authors":"Yuji Masutomi ,&nbsp;Yoko Imai ,&nbsp;Takahiro Takimoto ,&nbsp;Hiroichi Seki ,&nbsp;Atsushi Yanagida ,&nbsp;Naoya Kawata ,&nbsp;Taku Kawamura ,&nbsp;Muneyoshi Shimamura ,&nbsp;Kazunobu Toriyama ,&nbsp;Kazuhiko Kobayashi","doi":"10.1016/j.fcr.2025.110163","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.fcr.2025.110163","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Context</h3><div>Chalky rice grains (CRGs), a visible symptom of heat-induced degradation in rice quality, have become an increasingly serious issue for rice production in Japan under rising summer temperatures. While CRG incidence is primarily driven by high air temperatures during the grain-filling period, previous studies have shown that soil and water temperatures in flooded paddy fields can also modulate CRG occurrence. As water management varies across individual rice paddies, resulting differences in soil and water temperatures may influence CRG incidence. However, no studies have explicitly investigated the effects of inter-field variability in soil and water temperatures on CRG incidence.</div></div><div><h3>Research questions</h3><div>This study aims to quantify the inter-field variability in soil temperature and CRG incidence across farmers’ paddy fields, and to determine whether differences in soil temperature can explain the variation in CRG incidence among fields.</div></div><div><h3>Method</h3><div>We conducted field observations over three consecutive years (2019–2021) in more than 20 farmers’ rice paddies within a 10 km radius of Tsukuba City, Japan. We quantified the inter-field variability in soil temperature and CRG incidence and analyzed their relationship.</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>Inter-field variability in soil temperature during August reached approximately 0.5 °C, a magnitude comparable to the inter-annual variability in air temperature. CRG incidence also showed substantial inter-field variability, with a standard deviation of 4.3 % across fields—exceeding its inter-annual variation. A significant positive correlation was observed between soil temperature during the 20 days after heading and CRG incidence, indicating that higher soil temperatures increase CRG incidence.</div></div><div><h3>Conclusion</h3><div>These findings suggest that localized differences in thermal environments, particularly soil temperature, can significantly affect rice grain quality even within small geographic areas with similar air temperatures.</div></div><div><h3>Implication</h3><div>Identifying the field-level factors contributing to soil temperature differences could support the development of targeted, site-specific adaptation strategies to mitigate CRG incidence under future climate change scenarios.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":12143,"journal":{"name":"Field Crops Research","volume":"335 ","pages":"Article 110163"},"PeriodicalIF":6.4,"publicationDate":"2025-10-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145271270","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Predictive modeling of canola seed composition in western Canada: Integrating geospatial patterns with early-season insights","authors":"Jose L. Rotundo ,&nbsp;Dave Charne ,&nbsp;Chad Koscielny ,&nbsp;Robert H. Gulden ,&nbsp;Véronique J. Barthet","doi":"10.1016/j.fcr.2025.110183","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.fcr.2025.110183","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Context</h3><div>Western Canada is the largest global producer and exporter of canola (Brassica napus L.), a versatile crop used for its nutritious oil and high-protein meal. The industry faces challenges due to year-to-year variability in seed oil and protein concentrations, affecting processing logistics and financials.</div></div><div><h3>Objective</h3><div>This study aimed to identify key temporal and geographical patterns in canola seed composition in Western Canada and to develop a statistical model using weather variables associated to different phenological stages to predict seed composition.</div></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><div>Spring canola samples collected by the Canadian Grain Commission from 2009 to 2022 were analyzed for seed oil and protein concentrations. Weather data from NASA POWER assessed environmental conditions during different crop developmental stages. Temporal trends were modeled using mixed model analysis, and geospatial analysis characterized spatial patterns. Predictive modeling employed Random Forest algorithms using location, soil, and weather variables.</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>From 2009–2022, seed oil concentration decreased by 0.17 % per year, while seed protein and meal protein concentrations increased by 0.19 % per year. Spatial analysis showed significant regional variations. Predictive modeling using Random Forest algorithms demonstrated improved accuracy at higher granularity levels, particularly with early reproductive stage weather data. Not improvement was observed by including weather information from later stages. The model's mean absolute error (MAE) for seed oil prediction at the Western Canada level was 0.41 %, compared to the benchmark of a null naïve model's MAE of 0.92 %. Similar improvements were observed for seed protein and meal protein predictions. Temperature, humidity, and rainfall were key factors influencing seed composition.</div></div><div><h3>Conclusions</h3><div>The study revealed significant spatial and temporal variation in canola seed composition across Western Canada, with early reproductive weather conditions playing a crucial role in determining seed oil and protein concentrations. The integration of geospatial patterns with early-season weather data enabled the development of a predictive model with a mean absolute error of 0.4 %, providing a valuable tool for forecasting seed composition.</div></div><div><h3>Implications</h3><div>The predictive model can aid industry stakeholders in logistical planning by offering early predictions of seed composition. This tool will allow processors and exporters to anticipate variations in seed oil and protein concentrations well before harvest, enabling informed decisions about sourcing, storage, and processing strategies. By forecasting seed composition, stakeholders can optimize operations to meet market demands and quality standards, potentially reducing costs and improving efficiency.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":12143,"journal":{"name":"Field Crops Research","volume":"335 ","pages":"Article 110183"},"PeriodicalIF":6.4,"publicationDate":"2025-10-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145271271","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}